Tales of Fatherhood
by XxNika-chanxX
Summary: Stories of Kratos being a father throughout infancy, adolescence, and young adulthood.
1. Surviving

Nika: Hello my fellow fanfictioners! I am finally writing another story! Yay! This one will also have more than one chapter! Yay! It is also a change of pace for me because I will be writing a Tales of Symphonia fic! Yay! I'm really excited and hope you all like it! Now, I need someone to help me with the disclaimer before I start…

Kratos: **Poofs in**

Nika: …Well he is the main character. **Hands script** Okay, the stage is yours, Kratos!

Kratos: **Reads script** …XxNika-chanxX does not own Tales of Symphonia. All rights reserved to Namco and whoever else owns TOS.

Nika: Enjoy!

Kratos gazed at his infant son, who was sleeping peacefully in the small crib. The infant's breaths were slow and shallow, which worried Kratos. How was something so young, so small going to survive in such a dangerous world? Being chased by Kvar didn't help his chances either, but Kratos didn't want to think about that right now.

Kratos had never been fond of children, they were loud, obnoxious, and couldn't really do anything for themselves. But something about the infant's face had captivated him, and he couldn't look away.

His peaceful thoughts were soon shattered when the baby let out an ear-shattering cry. Kratos was surprised something so small could produce such a sound.

"Lloyd?" Anna entered the room and looked at the baby with Kratos. "What happened?" Anna lifted the baby into her arms and started to rock him back and forth.

"Don't ask me…" Kratos mumbled.

"Well, then who should I ask? I don't suppose one of his stuffed animals has an explanation?" Anna teased him. She was finally able to get the infant to cease his cries.

"He's a baby, he is going to cry for no reason all the time."

"Everyone has a reason for their actions, Kratos." Anna smiled a smile that always melted Kratos to the point where not even he could keep a stoical look on his face. "Maybe it's because you were glaring at him."

"I was not glaring at him." Kratos defended.

"Was too, you glare at everyone."

"…" Kratos grunted, he couldn't reply to that.

"Try holding him."

"Wait, Anna, I don't think I should…" Anna ignored his excuse and placed Lloyd in his father's arms. Kratos awkwardly cradled the sleeping child in his arms.

Anna smiled and crossed her arms, "See, that's not too bad, is it?"

"No… I suppose not." The corners of Kratos' lips curled into a small smile as he gazed at his son. '_Lloyd is going to survive…'_ Kratos thought, '_because I will protect him, no matter what.' _

Nika: Awwwww! That wasn't so bad. Hehe. If you hadn't noticed… I'm using stuff my parents told me they were thinking as I was growing up. I'll throw in some 'situations' I got myself into, as well. (Kehehehehe…)

Kratos: They couldn't have noticed, they don't even know you.

Nika: **Ignores** That being said, I would love (need) some ideas for this! Thanks!

Kratos: Rate and Review, please.


	2. Stupidity

Nika: Yes, I'm posting very frequently because I'm enjoying this. XD

Kratos: I'm not.

Nika: … Just do the disclaimer…

Kratos: XxNika-chanxX does not own Tales of Symphonia. All rights reserved to Namco and whoever else owns it… You really should figure out who else owns Tales of Symphonia.

Nika: … Don't mock me…

* * *

Kratos sat in the small Inn, reading a book by the fireplace. He glanced over to his sleeping wife, Anna, who was exhausted from being a mother.

He recalled their conversation from only minutes ago:

Anna yawned and stretched her arms in the air. "Kratos… do me a favor and watch Lloyd while I take a nap…"

_Kratos snapped his head up from his book and stared at her, "You don't think I'm going to mess up, or mentally scar him?" He went through all the insults Anna had shot him about watching over Lloyd._

"_I never said that," Anna giggled as she lay down, "I'm just really tired and need some rest. Besides, I think you need to spend some time with __our__ son."_

_Kratos groaned and returned to his book, "Don't blame me for any unexplainable mishaps."_

_Anna laughed worriedly, hoping he was kidding. _

Kratos set his book down on a nearby coffee table and looked to the floor. There was his son, sitting on the carpet playing with the few toys he had. Lloyd couldn't speak yet, or walk, or even crawl, much to Kratos' pleasure. But, Lloyd could _try_ to speak, or walk, or crawl, which both amused and annoyed Kratos. Instead of walking/crawling and talking, the baby could roll… and screech.

Lloyd looked up from his toys, noticing he had his father's attention. He gave Kratos a toothless grin and waved by opening and closing his hand. Kratos chuckled and waved back to his son. Lloyd looked at his toy, a stuffed dog, and waved to it. He held it up in front of Kratos, wanting him to wave to the dog as well. Kratos reluctantly sighed and waved to the stuffed dog.

Lloyd, pleased with his waving antics, lay on his back and rolled over onto his stomach. Then onto his back, then back onto his stomach. This movement continued until he had rolled all the way across the room behind a couch. Kratos followed his son who he found… waving to the couch. Kratos mentally face-palmed and thought, '_Either our son is bound to be very friendly or very stupid …' _

When Kratos had finally stopped thinking about his son's mental state, Lloyd was already gone. The infant had rolled away somewhere into mischief. Kratos panicked and searched the room, looking under beds and blankets and in small spaces between furniture.

Suddenly, there was a soft thud followed by loud crying and screeching. Anna shot up out of bed and followed Kratos into the dining room, where Lloyd lay, holding his head in pain.

Anna picked up her son and kissed his head. "It's okay, Lloyd. It's just a boo-boo, mommy will make it feel better, okay?" Anna glared at Kratos as she eased their son. "This wouldn't happen to be an 'unexplainable mishap' would it?"

"I…" He wasn't keen on saying he had become lost in his thoughts and allowed their son to roll away where he would evidently hit his head on the leg of a chair.

"Mhm, I thought so." Anna walked out of the dining room to the kitchen where she placed a bag of ice on Lloyd's head. "Let's hope that little 'mishap' didn't cause Lloyd some permanent brain damage."

"Anna, you can't blame that accident for his stupidity." Kratos mumbled, hoping she wouldn't hear. Unfortunately, mothers hear everything, and an unfortunate bag of ice had been chucked at Kratos'… **cough** never mind.

* * *

Kratos: You're a cruel being.

Nika: Haha, Kratos, you're going to need that ice.

Kratos: Let me guess, a similar 'accident' caused your warped mental state?

Nika: … Rate and Review please…


	3. First Word

Nika: Yes, yes, I am back by popular demand to update this fic! Yay!

Kraots: Only MenrowSpirit reviewed though…

Nika: Well, that's popular to me! Thanks, MenrowSpirit, for the reviews!

Kratos: XxNika-chanxX does not own Tales of Symphonia, all rights reserved to Namco.

Nika: We discovered Namco's pretty much the only owner of TOS…

Kratos: Please enjoy the story.

* * *

Lloyd's squeals and chirps were finally starting to make sense. It was 'baby talk' as Anna would put it, incoherent sounds coming from the infant that were supposed to represent different objects in his life.

Kratos groaned, "When will he start speaking real words?"

Anna turned her attention from Lloyd and looked at Kratos, "The 'baby talk' phase has to come first, then it's only a matter of time before he starts picking up real words. And think, he only has one first word, we need to make sure it's one we want!" Anna laughed and tried teaching Lloyd some more words. She picked up his stuffed dog and repeated, "Lloyd, look! Dog. D-O-G, dog. Ddoooggg"

Kratos laughed at how ridiculous his wife looked.

She glared at him and stuck her tongue out. "Why don't you try, mister?"

Kratos waved his hand in front of his face and shook his head, "I'll pass. You may continue."

"While I teach our son how to speak, can you check on lunch? I think the soup is done."

"Of course." Kratos rose from his chair and made his way to the kitchen. "By the way, what is for lunch…" Kratos stopped talking when he opened the pot lid, it was tomato soup. He smashed the lid down on the pot and stormed back into the living room. "Anna! Is that some kind of joke?! I _hate_ tomatoes!"

"Oh come on! Tomatoes are good for you. And we're tight on money, we don't have that many other options!" Anna argued, standing so she could face the seraph.

"I refuse to eat… that… that…" Kratos stuttered in disgust.

"Tomato!" Lloyd exclaimed. The couple's eyes widened as they stared down at the infant.

"W-What did you say, Lloyd?" Kratos asked slowly.

"Tomato!!" Lloyd smiled and clapped his hands together. "Tomato! Tomato! Tomato!!!!"

Anna burst out laughing and held her stomach. Kratos narrowed his eyes and glared at her. "Did you teach him that?!"

Anna tried to stop laughing, but she couldn't. Eventually, she was able to puff out, "N-No! He learned that one all on his own!"

"Tomato!" Lloyd smiled up at his father, looking for praise. Kratos' eye twitched, feeling guilty for being angry at his son's first word.

"G-Good job, Lloyd." Kratos crouched down and ruffled his son's hair.

Anna sat back down next to him and laughed, "Yes, very good job."

Kratos shot her a glare and mumbled, "I don't think we should count it."

"Count what?" Anna asked curiously.

"Tomato, it can hardly count as a word… it only has six letters…"

Anna rolled her eyes, "Kratos, '_Kratos'_ is six letters…."

Kratos grunted. His stupid argument didn't hold up against his 'brilliant' bride.

"Just face it, your son's first word is tomato. It's not the end of the world." Anna smiled and stood. "In fact, I'm writing this in my journal so we never, _ever_ forget this special day." Anna skipped off to their bedroom.

Kratos rubbed his temples, he had just lost all hope of convincing her later in life his first word was 'dog'. Now his mission was... to burn the journal.

Lloyd tapped his father's hand and giggled, "Tomato!"

Kratos groaned and placed his hand on his son's head, "Lloyd, you _will _forget that word… won't you?"

"To-ma-to." Lloyd spat.

* * *

Kratos: I refuse to believe my son's first word was 'tomato',

Nika: Believe it, cause I wrote it.

Kratos: Do you enjoy making me suffer?

Nika: Yes, but only you in particular.

Kratos: Sadist…

Nika: I am not!

Kratos: Sadist.

Nika: Rate and review…

Kratos: If you promote sadism…

Nika: KRATOS!!!


	4. Snow Angels

Nika: Wow, it's been nearly four years since I updated this! I honestly just gave up because I became busy, but I've fallen into a _Tales of Symphonia_ fixation again and I stumbled across my own fanfiction. I went back and changed some grammar and spelling errors that were killing me, and I figured why not just write a new chapter? So, enjoy!

* * *

If there was one thing Kratos did not mind, it was the snow. Despite the harsh chills that came along with it, Kratos believed that the white blankets that covered the land were beautiful, especially in the city of Flanoir. It was early evening and the city was lit up with street lamps and warm lights from people's homes. Anna decided that this was the perfect time to take a walk in the city, and Kratos couldn't agree more. Of course, young Lloyd had no objects either. The infant was already able to walk and hold limited conversations with him. Kratos was proud of his son, but couldn't help but feel anxious about the new realm of mischief the boy could get himself into.

Anna and Kratos traversed the city hand in hand with Lloyd sitting atop his father's shoulders. Kratos watched amusedly as his wife peered through shop windows, usually laughing about the silly styles of some of the clothing or criticizing their outrageous prices. It wasn't until they reached a small jewelry shop, however, that she was silent. Her free hand traced lightly on the glass of the display case which held a locket. It was open, revealing a small, round place for a slip of paper or a picture.

Kratos didn't ask her if she wanted it, knowing she would only wave him off and tell him that they needed to save their money for more important things. But, Kratos believed that his wife deserved to splurge sometimes. As they walked away, he noted the shop's location so he could return for the necklace.

They eventually found a park which was desolate due to it being nearly dark out. That didn't deter them, though, considering it was extremely well-lit from the lamps and the snow reflecting their light. Kratos placed his son on the ground so he could plow through the untouched snow. Anna followed him, but Kratos settled for a bench that was just a few feet away.

A smile graced his lips as he watched his son and wife play in the snow. Anna was always playful, and nothing made him happier than to watch her and his energetic son carelessly enjoy themselves in the snow.

"Hey!" Anna's voice snapped him away from his thought, "Kratos, come and see what your son made!"

Although Kratos could already see the little snowman from where he sat, he made his way over to his family anyway. The snowman was about Lloyd's height with sticks for arms and stones for a face. Anna had even sacrificed her hat for the sake of the snowman's appearance.

"Daddy!" The boy waved, trying to get his father's attention, "It's me!"

Kratos chuckled and leaned down to ruffled the boy's hair, "Indeed, it does bear a resemblance." Anna had crafted a big smile on the snowman's face with nearby rocks which mimicked the expression their son had on almost constantly.

Anna giggled and threw her arms up into the air, laying back into the snow. Kratos was going to warn her that she might catch a cold, but decided to dismiss it. He sat in the snow next to her, with Lloyd running over to stand next to his father.

"Lloyd, did you know if you do this," Anna swept her arms up and down, moving the snow away from her, "it makes a snow angel?"

Kratos tensed slightly at the term, but not enough for them to notice. Anna sat up and watched as her son walked around, examining her impression in the snow.

"Angel?" The boy tilted his head in curiosity. "Whassat?"

"They're people with wings that protect you!" She mimicked the motion of wings with her hands. "You in particular, Lloyd, will always have an angel taking care of you."

Lloyd's eyes lit up, "Really?"

"Yes." Kratos suddenly answered. He stood and helped his wife up out of the snow and lifted his son into his arms. "There is an angel that will always protect you no matter what."

Lloyd smiled and nuzzled into his father's shoulder, "I hope angels watch Mommy and Daddy, too."

Kratos sighed and looked to his wife who had giggled tensely. He held her hand and squeezed it reassuringly. There was an angel watching over his family, and he'd be damned if he let anything happen to them.

They returned to their residency and warmed up. They stripped themselves of their wet clothes and Anna treated them to a warm meal she had prepared. Afterwards, Kratos carried Lloyd to his bedroom and tucked him in, placing a kiss on his forehead.

"We have to wake up early to leave tomorrow, Lloyd, so make sure you sleep well."

Lloyd nodded and smiled at his father. "Goodnight, Daddy!"

"Goodnight, Lloyd." Kratos was about to leave the room when he was stopped by his son's voice.

"Daddy?"

"Yes, Lloyd?"

"Can we come here again?"

Kratos paused, but then smiled. "Of course we can."

He watched Lloyd hum in approval and settle into sheets. Kratos walked back to the bed and feathered his son's hair one last time, silently promising that they would return here.

* * *

Kratos stood leaning against a lamppost in Flanoir. He stared at the locket in his hand which held the only picture he had left of his family.

"I'm sorry, Anna… Lloyd." He snapped the locket shut and sighed, watching his warm breath rise in the cold air. Kratos stood there for a moment, reminiscing on the time he had visited the city with Anna and Lloyd. It all seemed so long ago, now. Shaking his head, he moved away from the lamppost and prepared to leave, but the sound of footsteps stopped him.

"Huh, guess I was just hearing things." Kratos' ears perked up at the sound of Lloyd's voice. The boy was a little ways off, standing on a balcony that overlooked Flanoir. Without thinking, Kratos began to walk towards him.

"Lloyd."

* * *

Nika: Ow wow look I was kinda nice to Kratos this chapter. I was inspired because it's snowing where I live, but I hope this was a nice holiday surprise for any of you that wanted me to update. In any case, I don't know if I'm going to keep writing this, so don't expect any constant updates or anything. Thanks for reading~


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